SanVito, I think molten meant (s)he did exactly that, but making the sauce in advance to cooking the pasta separately (as the Lares intended), rather than putting everything into the cookpot as per the OP.
I like to add some arugula to my homemade pesto. It adds a nice peppery bite to the sauce that really sings when you toss it with some halved cherry tomatoes and the pasta. Plus, basil can be ridiculously expensive if you’re making enough pesto to feed a family, so the arugula (while not dirt cheap) helps stretch the basil a bit further.
What stores in your areas carry basil leaves? The supermarkets here (AZ) don’t seem to have it. Sprouts has some, but in small packages that would seem to end up costing as much as premade pesto. (Sprouts has bulk pine nuts, in case someone couldn’t find them elsewhere).
Dude, you are clearly not talking to a wiz in the kitchen. Some people don’t even have a food processor let alone a frigging mortar and pestle.
Look in the produce section. Around here, all the grocery stores carry fresh herbs in plastic packs. Whole plants or freshly harvested stems and leaves - your choice. Expensive if you are making pesto for a crowd, but cheap enough for dinner for two.
Maybe post on NextDoor or Craig’s list, and see if you can find someone growing it in their garden? In my experience, it’s hard to grow only a little basil, so you might luck into a neighbor with some to share or trade.
Yeah, I assume that the same thing they’ll get at Sprouts–just one of those small hard plastic packages. It is a bit pricey if you want to make pesto in any quantity. What is it, like $2 or $3 for a package? Probably enough for dinner for two, as you say, though.
For bulk basil, I’d check the farmer’s markets. Occasionally, some of the groceries around here will sell plastic bags of basil at reasonable prices and quantities, but it’s so hit-and-miss. Costco Business Centers, supposedly, sell them by the pound ($11/lb I see online).
Oh, come to think of it, Trader Joe’s has it in larger clamshells for a decent price, like $2.50-$3.50. Here’s a pic what to look for.
Sometimes you can find it in ethnic markets, as well.
Yeah, every year I end up with way more basil than I know what to do with (and I’m actually not a huge fan of pesto. I typically grow more of the Thai and cinnamon varieties that I use in stir fry.)
Just making sure you’re buying the right kind of basil. You want a sweet Italian basil not a spicy Thai basil.
Yes, the Sprouts would be a bit pricey. We got a single pack for whatever it cost, $2-3, and it wasn’t enough for a decent batch. The pine nuts were low cost, though.
We have a trader Joe’s nearby. I will check it out. The produce market nearby does not carry it in bulk. We’ll try WinCo also. They have a lot of bulk items.
Amazon has it by the pound in packages coming from Egypt or something. Can’t tell how good it is.
I’ve made it from Thai basil, and it’s quite nice, but, yes, a different sort of thing. Thai basil still tastes basil-y, but with more, I dunno, anise up front and a sharper flavor? The leaves are also quite distinct. Thai is flatter, smaller, often with bits of purple on the fringes of new shoots. Italian is glassier, bigger, a bit rounder, and tends to form convex shapes, as opposed to Thai’s flat or convex leaf form.
Really? I almost never end up using pine nuts because they’re so expensive around here. They tend to be somewhere around $20/lb or so.
I looked on Amazon before I composed my reply, but all I could find was dried basil by the pound. I’d read the description very carefully. Basil doesn’t seem like something that would travel well in fresh form all the way from Egypt.
That’s my suggestions, too. I love pesto, but usually have to find ways to stretch it since it’s so darn expensive to buy enough basil to make pesto for the whole family. But during the summer, I can pull from my garden and buy huge bunches of it at the market. I probably make pesto a couple times a month during the summer. During the off season, I cut it with arugula (as I previously mentioned).
Costco has a big 22 oz jar of pestofor $8.50 that IMHO wins the price performance sweepstakes. Not saying it’s incredible, but if you go down the store bought pesto route, this one is great value and certainly edible. Passes the 3 bambina test in my house at least (my 3 kids all like it).
That’s what we currently use. But in a small household, it will go bad before you can finish it. Unless you have pesto every day. 